kennedy died, he had known him -- as part of the story i talked to bill. 9/11, i went up to talk to an fbi agent i knew in boston and stop that bill's to get the take of a historian. we were just friends. had dinner, what the red sox. >> what was he like? >> i forget who i have told the story to -- the first night i met him, he and the old marines were sitting around and talking about old marine staff. >> he had gone out there with the marines -- >> to do a feature story. there was a knock on the door at 10:00. a young woman from wesleyan with two books of his -- she wanted him to describe for her grandfather. he invited her in, sat her in, offered her tea or wine, and the five marines talked about the war. she listened for two hours and got a story she would never get again. i had just met him hours earlier. i thought, this is a generous man. i always believed that. he would, a little boy, who helped me do the book. bill would call him and talk about history, and he would say, that all is pretty smart. things he did not have to do. i noticed that. >> william manchester died at age 82 in 2